Runaway electromagnetic cascade in shear flows and high energy radiation of astrophysical jets

Abstract

We propose a straightforward and efficient mechanism of the high energy emission of astrophysical jets associated with an exchange of interacting high energy photons between the jet and external environment and vice versa. Interactions which play the main role in this mechanism, are e^+ e^- pair production by photons and inverse Compton scattering. The process has been studied with numerical simulations demonstrating that under reasonable conditions it has a supercritical character: high energy photons breed exponentially being fed directly by the bulk kinetic energy of the jet. Eventually, there is a feedback of particles on the fluid dynamics and the jet partially decelerates.

6 pages, 2 figures, Moriond Workshop "Very High Energy Phenomena in the Universe", 2005